The first public demand was made at the annual session of the Assam Association held at Sivasagar in 1917. In 1940 the Government appointed S. K. Bhuyan as Special Officer with the task of collecting relevant information on the selection of site and related matters. The university was established by an act of the State Legislature: the Gauhati University Act 1947 (Assam Act, XVI of 1947) of the government of Assam in 1948. The first court meeting of the university was held on 26 January 1948, which is considered the foundation day, at the old Sudmerson Hall of Cotton College, Guwahati. It had 17 affiliated colleges and eight Post Graduate Departments on its establishment.
The University which started functioning from the city center was shifted to the present campus in 1955-56